A gliding electric arc is a conventional apparatus for implementing oxidation and reformation reactions to incinerate waste products through full oxidation and to generate synthetic gas (syngas) through partial oxidation, respectively. A gliding electric arc generates an electrical discharge between two or more electrodes.
Oxidation and some reformation reactions are very energetic, resulting in high temperature product streams. While most of the components of an oxidation or reformation reactor structure can be actively cooled, the electrodes cannot easily be cooled due to the position of the electrodes within the reactor and the high voltage imposed on the electrodes. Additionally, the electrodes are immersed in the reactant stream, resulting in high heat flux conditions that increase the difficulty of cooling the electrodes.
Electrodes are conventionally fabricated from metal sheet using well-established machining techniques. Metals electrodes are used for their electric current carrying properties and their relatively simple manufacturing process. However, metal electrodes have maximum operating temperature limits, particularly in an oxidation implementation. These operating temperature limits are substantially below the temperatures reached in the oxidation product stream. As a result, the metal electrodes can oxidize and melt because of the temperature of the oxidation product stream.